factfinder_77
factfinder_77's JournalSteve Bannon has a shadow press office. It may violate federal law.
Source: publicintegrity
In an arrangement prominent ethics experts say is without precedent and potentially illegal, the White House is referring questions for senior presidential adviser Stephen K. Bannon to an outside public relations agent whose firm says she is working for free.
Alexandra Preate, a 46-year-old New Yorker and veteran Republican media strategist, describes herself as Bannon's "personal spokesperson." But she also collaborates with other White House officials on public messaging and responses to press inquiries. It was Preate who responded when the Center for Public Integrity recently asked the White House Press Office questions about Bannon.
Preate, however, is not employed by President Donald Trump’s administration or paid by the federal government.
The unorthodox setup means Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, is potentially violating the Antideficiency Act, which provides that federal employees "may not accept voluntary services for [the] government or employ personal services exceeding that authorized by law."
The revelations about Preate's work are the latest controversy to embroil the White House Communications Office, which is reeling from a series of high-profile resignations, firings and leadership changes in recent days.
Read more: https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/07/27/21014/steve-bannon-has-shadow-press-office-it-may-violate-federal-law
U.S. says Iran rocket test breaches U.N. resolution
Source: Reuters
Iran successfully tested a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit, state television reported on Thursday, an action the United States said breaches a U.N. Security Council resolution because of its potential use in ballistic missile development.
That resolution, which endorsed a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, calls upon Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology. It stops short of explicitly barring such activity.
Nauert on Thursday called Iran's rocket launch a "provocative action" that violated the "spirit" of the nuclear deal.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-satellite-idUSKBN1AC1YY
U.S. says Iran rocket test breaches U.N resolution- Thank you Sanders
Bernie Sanders voted against Russian sanctions today because:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFxsUtVUwAAa7Ui?format=jpg&name=small
Well..
"Iranian state television showed footage of the firing of the rocket, mounted on a launchpad carrying pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, and Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The rocket launch violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday.
That resolution, which endorsed a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, calls upon Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology. It stops short of explicitly barring such activity.
"We would consider that a violation of UNSCR 2231," Nauert said at a briefing with reporters when asked about the launch. "We consider that to be continued ballistic missile development. ... We believe that what happened overnight, in the early morning hours here in Washington, is inconsistent with the Security Council resolutions."
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-satellite-idUSKBN1AC1YY
Bernie Sanders: GOP is now a right-wing extremist party
Source: MSNBC
The Republican Party is dominated by the far right wing 'Koch brothers ideology,' says Senator Bernie Sanders, and they want to eliminate 'every federal program passed in the last eighty years.'
Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/bernie-sanders-gop-is-now-a-right-wing-extremist-party-1011759683986
Not helping
Doctors Can Now Call Trump Insane Without Breaking Ethics Rules -
The rule, which first appeared in the American Psychiatry Association’s Principles of Medical Ethics in 1973 and has been in effect since, declared it unethical for psychiatrists to give a professional psychiatric opinion on a public figure without a consensual in-person examination. The issue first emerged in 1964, when Fact Magazine published a piece where some polled psychiatrists declared that then-presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was mentally unfit to be president. Goldwater successfully sued for libel, and thus the “Goldwater Rule” was born.
The rule has been followed by psychiatrists and psychologists alike for decades. The APsaA’s July 6 email, however, marks a stark contrast to its previous position on examining public figures, which was sent on the basis of the “belief in the value of psychoanalytic knowledge in explaining human behavior,” past association president Dr. Prudence Gourguechon told STAT.
“We don’t want to prohibit our members from using their knowledge responsibly.” Dr. Gourguechon said that t
his responsibility has become more pressing today, “since Trump’s behavior is so different from anything we’ve seen before” in a president. This means that the APsaA’s psychiatrists now have the ability to declare the president “insane”, “paranoid”, or “schizophrenic” without being bound by the ethics rule.
http://lawnewz.com/important/doctors-can-now-call-trump-insane-without-breaking-ethics-rules-groups-says/
Senate voted 98-2 today to approve sanctions on Russia and NK. Guess who those 2 who voted no are ?
https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/890705013303111680CBO says 16 million lose insurance next year.
Source: @ddiamond
JUST POSTED - new CBO score
Under current law: 26M uninsured next year
Under GOP plan: 42M uninsured next year
Read more: ttps://twitter.com/ddiamond
By the way - Sanders voted for the amendment to oppose Sanctions on Russia
https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00144He voted for the amendment to oppose Sanctions on Russia, and against the one that lumped Iran sanctions in with it.
Every single Dem senator that voted for the bill to impose sanctions against Iran and Russia supports the Iranian nuclear deal. It was AFTER it was made clear that that deal was not effected by the new sanctions Dems supported the bill.
Intel caught Russians discussing Trump before campaign announcement: report
Source: The Hill
American intelligence intercepts recorded members of the Russian government talking about Donald Trump and his allies months before he launched his presidential bid, according to a new report.
The allegations come from a new Wall Street Journal report that describes the 2015 conversations as containing "vague and inconclusive information." According to the report, the intercepted conversations included talk of meetings between Russians and Trump allies.
While the intelligence community reportedly didn't see the conversations as major revelations, the Journal reports that investigators are taking a second pass at the conversations to see if they can find new relevance amid the twists and turns of the investigation into allegations of collusion between President Trump's campaign allies and Russian officials.
The report adds that no specific Trump associates were named by the Russians and it was unclear whether the discussions had anything to do with Trump's presidential bid, which he would announce later that year.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/341729-intel-intercepted-russians-discussing-trump-allies-before-he
Russian lawyer: Trump campaign wanted information on DNC 'so badly - surprise
“It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such an information," she said.
"They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341399-russian-lawyer-i-never-had-any-damaging-or-sensitive-information-on
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